It’s a ~40mpg hybrid, FWD truck, with a competent amount of space for stuff, what appears to be a maker friendly ethos, and starts at $20k.
Ars did a good review of it:
And it… looks really, really good!
Don’t get me wrong, I like this idea and it looks to be a really cool rig!
But… with all the supply shortages around automotive this year somehow I wonder [sarcastically] if it’s some unique marketing spin. “We uh… couldn’t find all the parts we needed for this, maybe you could make them yourself pretty please?”
That will totally be my thinking when we get to: “Some assembly required. ECM PCB and Digikey parts list included!”
Just think of it as Kerbal Pickup Program! Build it yourself, out of pieces found in the junkyard!
Looks interesting, though without AWD (it’s no longer a hybrid with the AWD) it loses a little bit of utility. I’m kinda shocked they didn’t put in an eAWD like the Rav 4 Hybrid.
My view on that is that it comes in two main forms.
It comes in a FWD, hybrid, “light-pickup shaped car” form that gets around 40mpg.
And then an AWD, turbo, “light truck” form that gets around 20-25mpg.
They just happen to look the same.
Supply shortages are causing them to “cancel” certain combinations you could have ordered. Same with the F150 - you have to buy certain levels of trim if you want it this year.
That supplies are always short on the cheapest options is noted.
Yeah supposedly parts bin drivetrain and they don’t have an eAWD handy.
I’ve been looking at them a fair bit. The main thing to note is that it’s actually a few inches larger than a mid 90’s era Ford Ranger (i.e. before they started adding unnecessary bulk to trucks and SUVs like crazy). Just to give you a perspective. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the new market for ~65 HP Japan “Kei” trucks. They must be >25 yrs old to not require emissions, but can be had for 3-4k after tax, import, etc. More if you want 4WD. I’ve been wondering whether it’s legal to have a newer one, but strictly for use around your property. i.e. it might be cheaper to get a 20 yr old model because there’s less of a market for it. then in 5 yrs, sell it for a profit!